"The outage of Adobe’s Creative Cloud, which relies on cloud-based functionality to provide what should be a seamless environment as users switch between software packages and workstations, is a perfect example of how quickly and seriously an outage can undermine a cloud subscription software model and disenfranchise users," said Paul Haswell of Pinsent Masons, the law firm behind Out-Law.com.
"If that cloud goes down, then users are left wondering what they are paying for, with a compromised working environment, and no concrete guarantee as to when problems will be rectified."

In a blog post Adobe Systems said that it had identified the cause of the disruption, but it did not specify the cause of the outage,or when it expected services to return to normal.Adobe spokeswoman Vanessa Rios declined to give further details, said Reuters.

It's the last part that is freakiest to my mind. Adobe took a position where they would say as little as possible to anyone.

their entire DRM login catastrophically failed for a period of 24 hours, they produced short boilerplate answers, and refused to answer any queries from reuters and others during the outage and in the aftermath.

If that cannot be perceived as contempt for your customers, and the ensuing legitimate journalistic concern - then I don't really know what contempt is supposed to look like.

I know Tim says we shouldn't in any way defame adobe, but surely their own actions here do them absolutely no favours whatsover.

When mobile me went to hell, apple underwent a small firestorm of negative publicity, Jobs was extremely vocal, had an open session with journalists, Apple were very up front in their response, and it was made known that jobs took a scythe to the division. you can feel that is a company making a statement to its customers that they count, and that failure of that kind from apple would be met with penitent and corrective action - same with maps - Cook wrote an open letter apologising to the entire customer base, he forced scott forstall out and he even directed customers to competing products for gods sake.

Shantanu Narayen just engineered a forced march of his entire customer base to remote DRM locked subscription: then adobe proceeded to lose all the credit cards, and then their entire DRM login failed for a little over 24 hours. where is he on this? where is his leadership statement? Half the responses on the day were coming chaotically from the adobe twitter account? And they told every journalist to go swing in the aftermath. They did the absolute bare minimum, and that only when their position became untenable.

what does this all say about the company? Does anyone feel good about this? do people feel in a good position with a well run company under an effective board and an accountable CEO? because, really kids, it's a christmas miracle if you do.

[Aindreas Gallagher]"Jobs was extremely vocal, had an open session with journalists, Apple were very up front in their response, and it was made known that jobs took a scythe to the division."

So you're saying we should shutdown Adobe entirely? After all, Mobile Me shut down entirely and that was a huge problem for some people. So that's not so much of a "fix" as a complete 180.

[Aindreas Gallagher]"
Shantanu Narayen just engineered a forced march of his entire customer base to remote DRM locked subscription: then adobe proceeded to lose all the credit cards, and then their entire DRM login failed for a little over 24 hours. where is he on this? where is his leadership statement?"

So your big beef is with Narayen not putting out a platitude filled statement? You are really bent out of shape over not getting a load of b.s. shoveled in your direction?

When has a CEO ever put out anything that wasn't just, "Well get it fixed as soon as we can," but dressed up in multiple paragraphs? And when has that every solved anything?

tell me there is no resonance in the comparison. Tell me you don't find it extraordinary that there has been no key statement from the CEO on any of this. when the comparison occurred to me, it kind of shocked me? You'd be tempted to think he possibly doesn't give much of a toss. His total silence would seem to indicate it. How is it that the CEO has seen fit to give no formal position on this? Given the scale of the outage?

apart from anything else - over that28 hour period, they managed to shut down the most highly trafficked news site on the globe, the daily mail - and the highest the company public response went was a flat refusal from the head of PR to engage in any discussion whatsoever. with reuters or anyone else.

there is an elephant in the room at this point. Adobe's fundamental public behaviour, the dissonance between all the nice cheeky chaps on the front end we are intended to bond with, and the deaf executive layer eating cake on the balcony is getting pretty hard to take.

also mate, just to be clear how much this conversation is continuing while adobe are stonewalling their entire customer base and all queries - the ensuing debate off this debacle is serious enough that people are publicly discussing the requirement for safety code style structures on these kinds of subscription services.

I am aware of various standards for data centers related to information protection. There are also fire codes, building codes and other standards that should help make sure data centers remain functioning.

What I am not aware of is a means to certify cloud services that users might depend upon when comparing cloud providers. Right now, this is something users pretty much have to accept on faith. Enterprise customers may investigate further, but who actually audits cloud facilities, standards, operator training, procedures and other aspects of providing “always” access to customers?

all this is happening with the total absence of any formal board level statement clarifying the cause of outage or clear steps being taken going forward. I invite you to trawl as I have. It isn't there gary. It goes as high as PR flaks, and they told everyone to take a walk. I said it before, but this seems more and more an incoherent cash grab that is looking less respectable by the day.

it took them 5-6 days of pressure to say that might consider compensation on a case by case basis. that was it. It's basically crazy how this has gone down. the fact that anyone would think this is all A-OK kind of beggars the mind.

The CEO has literally said not one public word about this entire fiasco. That is flat out insane Gary.

[Aindreas Gallagher]"tell me there is no resonance in the comparison. Tell me you don't find it extraordinary that there has been no key statement from the CEO on any of this. when the comparison occurred to me, it kind of shocked me? You'd be tempted to think he possibly doesn't give much of a toss. His total silence would seem to indicate it. How is it that the CEO has seen fit to give no formal position on this? Given the scale of the outage?"

You must mistake me from someone who actually gives a crap about what any CEO of any company has to say. More often than not, they are the face of marketing for a company, and not much else. I would much rather hear from the direct supervisor over the team that is actively trying to resolve the issue, but that's simply not done in today's business world.

[Aindreas Gallagher]"apart from anything else - over that 28 hour period, they managed to shut down the most highly trafficked news site on the globe, the daily mail - and the highest the company public response went was a flat refusal from the head of PR to engage in any discussion whatsoever."

Shut down? It missed a single day's issue. Is that what you want to paint in terms of an apocalypse? My how soft our Western society has become! But that was a single example...are there any others? I mean, for something so catastrophic!!!! you would think there would be a heap of shut downs...but, no...crickets.

[Aindreas Gallagher]" the ensuing debate off this debacle"

Debacle? See, tossing this terminology around makes it seem like it was far worse than it was. I wasn't affected, nor was anyone was in my circle. Did it effect you in any shape, matter, or form? Were you spirits utterly crushes that your Daily Mail issue didn't make it to your tablet? Besides, Adobe is offering compensation for the outage. On a blog post they wrote:

We have identified the root cause of this failure and are putting standards in place to prevent this from happening again.

What more do you want, really?

On top of all that, were you aware that the Mac App Store was unable to connect for updates for 24 hours? Hmmm...? Were was all the gnashing of teeth in that scenario? I was in the middle of setting up a new Mac machine, so I got bit by that one. And I figured they would get it ironed out in about 24 hours, and they did.

with due respect to you I'll go with this to exactly one more reply exchange.

[Gary Huff]"You must mistake me from someone who actually gives a crap about what any CEO of any company has to say. More often than not, they are the face of marketing for a company, and not much else."

that is not a particularly good or accurate point, and you don't seem to know what a chief executive can influence.
lets put Dick Fuld in charge - because the key morality of the chief executuve has no bearing.

[Gary Huff]"Shut down? It missed a single day's issue. Is that what you want to paint in terms of an apocalypse?"

Gary - god love you, and just to be clear to you in terms you can actually comprehend - that is the New York Times website down for 24 hours. that is a news website with less traffic than the daily mail.

That is what happened there. Please be sure that adobe's position is compromised there. I actually for kicks know someone who writes for the mail. I really do. there is apparently mind shock on the situation they got into with adobe.

[Gary Huff] I wasn't affected, nor was anyone was in my circle.

that line needs to die this sunday gary. It has sounded wrong since the beginning.
I get that there is debate - you like debate, I like debate: but there really are problems with this company Gary, there just outright are.

You name it - messaging, systemic failures, boilerplate PR. You tell me now some part of you doesn't think there are problems with adobe.
because gary mate - there bloody well are. there are problems with adobe.

we're not just having fun with this - it could be argued that there are potentially real substantive problems with the conduct and stewardship of adobe.

[Aindreas Gallagher]"lets put Dick Fuld in charge - because the key morality of the chief executuve has no bearing."

So your argument that the CEO has a tremendous influence involves a comparison against the worst figure you could think of? That's apples and oranges. Unless you can specifically tell me what you think the CEO of Adobe tomorrow will do during his Monday that will specifically bring value to the company.

[Aindreas Gallagher]"just to be clear to you in terms you can actually comprehend - that is the New York Times website down for 24 hours."

You want to be clear to me in terms I will comprehend, and then proceed to make the wrong comparison? Wow. The comparison would actually be to the New Yorks Times iPad Edition not coming out on a day, not the website going down for 24 hours. You couldn't have been more off base if you had intended to be so.

[Aindreas Gallagher]"because gary mate - there bloody well are. there are problems with adobe."

Hey, very well, you are entitled to believe that. So stay away from the Adobe software suite, because you sure as hell don't want to be showing your support for a company that has so much wrong with it. I would also stop saying anything positive about Premiere CC...I mean, hell, someone might read that and subscribe, and you would be directly responsible for financially supporting such immoral behavior!

[Gary Huff]"The comparison would actually be to the New Yorks Times iPad Edition not coming out on a day,"

yeah that actually true- may have simplified for effect there. its still kind of crazy. If it had been the NYT ipad edition not coming out for a day, you can bet it would have gotten more coverage too.

yeah - not that important - although the economist seems to have it nailed, FT makes real cash too, although they side stepped the appstore and that. And in the case of the mail, all the real money is on the website, which as you say wasn't affected. I may have overstated the concern in the mail. I might have even made it up. I did ask someone who writes for the sunday mail, but she'd barely heard about it. it took me ten minutes of riling her up before she thought it was crazy....

[Aindreas Gallagher]"I know Tim says we shouldn't in any way defame adobe"'

For the record, my point was a reminder that COW policies state that all companies, not just Adobe, deserve the same consideration that individuals do, including the use of business-like language when speaking to or about them.

Admittedly sometimes difficult in a debate forum, but I appreciate your efforts to keep things focused on the issues you have with behavior and policies.